Iran's government official denies that Tehran was involved in the assault on author Salman Rushdie, in remarks that were the country's first public comments on the attack
An Iranian government official has denied that Tehran was involved in the on author Salman Rushdie, in remarks that were the country's first public comments on the attack.
Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, made the remarks in a briefing to journalists on Monday. “We, in the incident of the attack on Salman Rushdie in the US, do not consider that anyone deserves blame and accusations except him and his supporters,” Kanaani said.Rushdie, 75, was stabbed on Friday while attending an event in western New York. He was likely to lose the injured eye.His assailant, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the attack through his lawyer.
The award-winning author for more than 30 years has faced death threats for his book “The Satanic Verses.” Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had issued a fatwa, or an edict, demanding his death.